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Players in dark about contraction
Major League Baseball says it is serious about possibly eliminating two or more struggling franchises, perhaps as soon as next season. With the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire on Oct. 31, commissioner Bud Selig has thrust the sport's new buzzword -- contraction -- into the public lexicon. But Selig has refused to explain the potential benefits of contraction. Nor, to this point, has he or anyone else from the management side broached the issue of contraction with the Players Association. This seems strange, considering that Paul Beeston, the sport's chief operating officer, has been meeting off and on over the past few years with union chief Donald Fehr. Since contraction could mean the elimination of 50 to 100 roster spots, at minimum, it might make sense to run the idea by the powerful players' union. Instead, the clock is ticking and the players aren't sure what they're supposed to think. "I guess we're taking [the contraction threat] as seriously as we can without really knowing exactly what the owners are thinking or have in mind," Braves pitcher Tom Glavine said. "All indications are they're serious at least about exploring the possibility. We're going to wait and see if they come up with a consensus or a plan, and we'll take it from there." All the players have to go on these days are rumors. No enlightening memoranda have come from the Players Association, which is busy researching its legal options should owners attempt to launch contraction unilaterally. "No one has explained it to us," said Glavine, who is the NL's union representative and a veteran of the Armageddon of 1994-95. "I think this whole contraction issue is something we haven't really taken a strong stance on one way or the other. We've been willing to listen to it. We've been willing to listen to the reasons behind it, but I think we've always kept our distance because we look at it from the standpoint of the whole host of problems it's going to cause, or at least the questions that have to be answered. ... "Hopefully, whether it's contraction or whatever other ideas come out of the Basic Agreement, it's mutually discussed and it's not the way things have always been in the past, where we're down to the 11th hour and it's 'Here, take this,' and try and force somebody to swallow something. That hasn't worked well in the past. Ultimately things have always gotten done but not without suffering. It would be nice to see that avoided for the first time." But what if contraction did go through? What would that mean for the game? No one on the players' side pretends to know. "Right now it's like saying McDonald's is going to take away 50 of their franchises around the U.S." says Rockies reliever and union representative Mike Myers. "How does that affect the other McDonald's? You don't know. Do more people travel a little bit further to get to the nearest McDonald's or do they go someplace else?" With a minimum salary of $200,000, losing 50 jobs would cost the players' side a minimum of $10 million. The average salary is more than 10 times higher than the minimum, which could change that loss figure drastically, depending on what multiplier is used. Industry insiders have speculated owners might offer to expand big-league rosters by a spot or two from the current 25. Two more spots per club would more than offset the loss of jobs in terms of quantity, but not in terms of quality, players say. "I don't think that would fly," says Giants shortstop Rich Aurilia, a member of the union's executive board. "The owners wouldn't give that 26th spot to a guy making $7-8 million or even $3-4 million. They'll take that 26th guy and pay him the minimum."
Something's fishySpeaking of contraction, one of the supposed candidates for elimination is making a strong push in the NL East.The Marlins -- yes, the Marlins -- opened some eyes this week in Atlanta when they took three out of four from the nine-time defending division champion Braves. They roared back from a 5-0 first-inning hole against Tom Glavine. They beat closer John Rocker twice in a four-day span. And afterward, the feisty Marlins seemed disappointed they didn't get the sweep. Going back to the start of last season, Florida is 13-11 against the Braves, including 7-5 this year. Since Tony Perez replaced John Boles as manager on May 28, the Marlins have gone 15-8. And they're doing all this despite below-average production from three positions: second base, right field and first base. Luis Castillo, Eric Owens and Derrek Lee, respectively, all have the potential to make up for their slow starts with big second halves. One major league scout said he rates the Marlins on a par with any of the best young teams in the majors. In fact, he rates them favorably with the Minnesota Twins, who have been atop the AL Central most of the year. "The Marlins could be like the Twins," the scout said. "Both those clubs are very similar. Both are good young baseball clubs. I think the Marlins actually have more talent than the Twins. The only difference is [Brad] Radke and [Eric] Milton are a little more finished than the Marlins' top side [of the rotation]. Believe me, the Marlins are a very talented team. I think [Marlins President/GM] David Dombrowski knows that. I think that's why David did what he did."
Last CalWith this week's announcement that Cal Ripken will retire at season's end, the farewell tour can begin.Fans in 12 different cities, not including Baltimore, will get one last chance to see the legendary Orioles third baseman and say goodbye. Ripken will make two more trips to Fenway Park and three to Toronto's SkyDome, where he'll spend his 41st birthday on Aug. 24. Other areas that should be circling their pocket schedules: Chicago, Atlanta, South Florida, Texas, Anaheim, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Oakland, Seattle and New York. Ripken, who already has made two trips into Yankee Stadium this year, will wrap up his astounding career on the same diamond where Lou Gehrig made his farewell speech in 1939. Red Sox hitting coach Rick Down, who held the same role with the Orioles from 1996-98, said he'll always remember Ripken's relentless work ethic, standards of preparation and sense of clubhouse mischief. But the greatest lesson Ripken will leave for his fellow big leaguers might be the courage to experiment. Ripken, like Rod Carew before him, was one of the all-time great tinkerers in the batter's box. "Cal wasn't afraid to change, wasn't afraid of trying something," Down said. "He always felt if there was something he could do to make himself better, he wasn't afraid to make a change or try something maybe that looked a little out of the ordinary. He was always tinkering with his stance and people would tease him about it." There were some doozies through the years. From the Jeff Bagwell squat to the Mike Schmidt- style ramrod, Ripken tried just about every stance imaginable and invented plenty of new ones along the way. Ripken's mad science always kept opponents guessing. No player was a bigger challenge for advance scouts to assess. "He was willing to stay with something and give it a chance before he'd give it up," Down said. "It wasn't like, 'I've always done it like this and I did it five years ago like that.' He wasn't stubborn in that sense. He was continually trying to learn something. He felt he was learning something every day. All to get better. Whether it was an adjustment with his hands, keeping them lower, getting a little wider [with his stance], whatever, he wasn't afraid to try it." Mike Berardino covers the baseball beat for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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